For those who are into magic kid lit, this book is certainly one to check out. I haven't come across many books that incorporate African legends and myths, as it's usually only Greek, Roman, and Norse that get the spotlight, so I was so excited to read this.

It was so interesting to see a different kind of magic than I'm used to. Everyone keeps calling this the "African Harry Potter," and for some reason that doesn't sit well with me. It's Akata Witch, not Harry Potter. It has its own universe, its own magic that's tied to its unique culture.

The Leopard People and their world are very well crafted. Though the book is written somewhat simplistically, it doesn't take away from how much thought has gone into this society.

While the story, for the most part, is decently paced, the climax goes by way too quickly. The villain gets a lot of build up and the tension looms over the course of the story. But, when it comes time to face him, it's over and done with within a few pages. Not only that, but we hardly learn anything about him. Even though he's built up to be terrifying and deadly efficient, he just comes off as hollow.

Beyond that, this is an excellent read.

Anthologies are a mixed bag, and sometimes even anthologies by your favorite authors are no exception. Most of the stories are okay. It's difficult to think of even one of his as a dud, so I'm just going to say those weren't for me.

My favorites are:

The Thing About Cassandra - Really good twist

"The Truth Is a Cave in the Black Mountains" - Classic revenge story of which I am always a fan

Some of the stories in A Calendar of Tales - It's weird, like an anthology within an anthology, loved the book igloo, the brazier, and the genie in particular

The Case of Death and Honey- Some A+ Sherlock Holmes fanfiction.

The Man who Forgot Ray Bradbury- One of my favorite authors talking about one of my other favorite authors. Such a sweet tribute to a magical man who held so many worlds in his mind

Nothing O'Clock- I'm a big fan of the Matt Smith era of Doctor Who, so this one brought back some nostalgia

The Return of the Thin White Duke - Technology Bowie on an adventure. Love it.

Black Dog - A continuation of American Gods. I love that no matter how much weird stuff happens to Shadow, he's constantly surprised by it.

Imagine my surprise when I found this book in the nonfiction kid's section of my local library. I could hardly believe that there was finally a book about LGBT people aimed towards a younger crowd. This is huge.

In a world where we are slowly starting to get more representation, there is still a long way to go though, this book brings me hope. I'm not going to say it's the be all end all of LGBT information. There are definitely more than 23 queer people who have revolutionized the world. But it's a start. It at least includes Harvey Milk, the Stonewall Riots, with a casual mention of Marsha P Johnson and Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon. I think this is a great book to introduce younger people to LGBT history and rights.

My only gripe is that mayyyyybe she could have included an asexual person. I mean, there is at least Edward Gorey and Tim Gunn. Possibly even Nikola Tesla, but that's only speculation. Then again, if she could include Joan of Arc, which I think is a stretch, I don't think it would be too difficult to include him.

I'll admit, the only reason I picked up this book is because Jack Frost is in it. Ever since I was a kid, I loved seeing specials or reading books that involved this character. I love winter, frost, snow, all that fun stuff. So whenever I see that he's in something, naturally I'm drawn to it.

This book really didn't bring any enjoyment that I usually have with Jack Frost involved story. Sure, it's not about him, mainly his daughter, but even that would be passable if she and the story were interesting. Unfortunately, it's not. It's your standard "I now have powers because one of my parents have powers" only it does nothing new with the idea. It's very dull for the most part, no big surprises or neat ideas that are explored. Owl feels so flat as a character that she hardly grows throughout the book. Her friends feel like blank slates as well, feeling like no more than paper dolls. Her Mom feels like the odd new age lady who sells organic groceries at your nearest Whole Foods instead of someone who actually means something in Owl's life.

Jack was okay, but he doesn't get much time devoted to him or even the other fantastic spirits in the book. Oddly it focuses more on the real world than the fantasy one, which may be its biggest downfall. Perhaps if this all happened in Jack's world than maybe it would be more appealing than just another story set in the mortal world.

This is definitely one book that I'm probably going to forget about in a month.

A cute, almost Oliver Twist-esque kind of story. I love the world that Bartok creates, a little bleak, a little industrial, but still full of hope. I woudn't mind reading a sequel in the near future.

Sort of a mix for this anthology. Most of the stories feel unfinished, as they just simply end. The only ones I enjoyed were the ones with actual closure, such as The Daughter Cells and The Rabbit.